Atlantis The Lost Empire: A New Adventure
by Camdencope1355
Summary: THis is the story of a kid who wants to clear his ancestors name for being one of the discoverers of Atlantis. So, together with some old and new friends, set out on the journey of a lifetime. They will encounter dangers and rivals to find the city. Will they be successful or will they be forgotten like Atlantis, the Lost Empire. This is a modern version of Atlantis The Lost Empire
1. Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins

"and in a single day and night of misfortune, the island of Atlantis, sank beneath the sea" Plato, 362 b.c.e.

(whhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmm)

(VERRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM)  
"(you fool, you've cost us all our lives)"  
"(the wave is gaining we need to warn Atlantis)"  
"(it's too late!)"  
this is the beginning of the end for the empire of Atlantis, the soldiers raced into the city passing a sentry who gasped in horror, then he raced to a voice amplifyer like device and shouted.  
"(EVERYONE TO THE SHELTERS, EVERYONE TO THE SHELTERS)"  
(bong-bong)  
people scrambled around while the king and queen of Atlantis stared at the giant tsunami with horror and fear.  
"(your highness this way)" said a guard.  
on the other side of Atlantis, a group of warriors gasped in shock and that shock quickly turned into anger, the leader of the group snarled and said.  
"(the fools, i warned them that the power of the crystal must never be used as a weapon of war but no, no one listens to me anymore)" he turned to his followers who where inside with him behind the crystal guardians, who had erected a barrier around the whole of Atlantis, what the leader of the warriors didn't know was that the crystal had chosen him and his group to remain alive for all time, and created a bubble like structure to keep them alive while the rest of Atlantis sank beneath the waves.

(Grand Bluffs, Oklahoma 2018)

It is not easy being a poor farm boy with big dreams and determination. I have longed to go on an incredible adventure that would become one for me to remember a long time. It started with a tale my Great Great Granddad once told me that was back in 1914. This story is long, but quite amazing, even though it would be my dad who told me that story as my Great Great Grandpa passed away before I was born. He was born on June 10, 1889 and died in 1989, eleven years before I was born. From what I was told, he and some fellow explorers went on a perilous journey to find the missing continent of Atlantis. Little did I know, I would soon be going on that same big adventure like my Grandpa did a hundred and four years ago.

Where are my manners? I am super sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Holland McCullough, but ya'll can call me, "Howlin' Mad", as I am ruthless in sports and shout a lot. My Great Great Grandpa is the late Camdyn Bradley, Petty Officer First Class, United States Navy. He was apart of the Thatch expedition that was organized to search for Atlantis back in 1914. He was serving in the U.S. Navy on board the U.S.S. Texas for 15 days before being asked to take part in the Atlantis Exploration by Mr. Whitmore. He came back five months later and by that time, the world was at war. He found out that his brother had been killed at the Battle of Mulhouse after volunteering to fight for the French Army at the beginning of the war. He would stay in the Navy and leave the battleship Texas to join the crew of the newly commissioned U.S.S. Oklahoma.

My Grandpa told me the story his grandpa told him about Officer Bradley. My granddad told me about it.

"Your great granddad told me about this here trip to Atlantis. He told me that they started the journey on board a massive submarine with hundreds of men and women. He was on the bridge with Commander Lyle Rourke, when….'BANG!'... they were then attacked by a creature that guards the entrance to Atlantis called the "Leviathan." Milo Thatch said that this is a machine and had destroyed ships from all eras. It destroyed the submarine, but the remaining survivors managed to escape to the pocket Thatch had described in a journal he found. They managed to find the pocket and continue the journey with what equipment they have left. They traveled for a long time, braving many perils and obstacles from scary monsters to deep drops. They then set camp by the bridge that would lead them to further. Until, they were attacked by these fireflies that set clothe on fire. They tried to cross the bridge but the weight of the equipment forced the bridge to collapse. Luckily, not a lot of people were hurt. However, the expert of their excavation group, Gaetan "Mole" Moliére, soon told them that they were on the bottom of an active volcano. Your Grandpa Camdyn had injured his leg in the fall and had to be carried by Joshua Sweet, the Chief Medical Officer of the team. Milo was wounded on his shoulder but was saved by these creatures who wear these special crystals around their necks. We followed them to a cliff where we were then surrounded by the same people that healed Milo. The leader of them started speaking and Milo did his best to speak back in their language, Atlantean."

I soon asked, "Do they know any other languages?"

"Why yes kiddo! They sure do. As Old Man Camdyn said, 'there language is the root dialect of all modern day languages, meaning that they know English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Greek, Turkish, Arabian, Mayan, and so on as their dialect is the root of all our languages. They welcome us to the Island of Atlantis. He described as one of the most beautiful and advanced places he had ever been to. Unfortunately, the king did not take too kindly about us being here, but Grandpa Camdyn said that he made many friends while there. Unfortunately, Rourke decided to turn against the group and Mr. Thatch, just to get the Heart of Atlantis, a special crystal that is what keeps the people of Atlantis and their culture alive. They also tried to steal the king's daughter, Princess Kidagakash Nedakh whom everyone referred to as "Kida." Luckily, the group was able to defeat and kill Rourke and return the heart just in time as that volcano started to erupt. It then forced a force shield and saved the city. Sadly, Milo stayed behind to help the Atlantean's repair their society and way of life. The rest made it back as did Grandpa Bradley. Sadly, they all agreed to try and keep it a secret to keep people from coming and trying to steal the heart again."

When I heard that story, I was shocked and a spark appeared in my eye. I was determined to find Atlantis myself, even if it costs me my life. However, I didn't have a lead or anyway of proving where this entrance was. I did, however, have a lead. I started by inviting a few school friends over, there names are Glenn Blackburn, Reginald Stanley, and Andrea Copeland. We were sitting at the table talking and then an idea flew into my head. I asked my friends

"Hey guys." they all looked at me.

"What is it Hollis?" Reginald beckoned.

"I am gonna head over to our old house where we keep some old records and try to find some about my Great Great Granddad. Ya'll wanna come along?"

"Why not?" Andrea asked.

We all then rode our bikes to the old house where we keep old furniture, clothes, belongings, and other assorted junk. I opened the door and we all walked in. We all started looking through boxes, but making sure to put stuff back after we got it out. We were looking until we noticed a rather strange letter in with the old letters and notes left from Grandpa Camdyn. However, this looked strange as it was not even opened. I opened it to see that it dates back to 1918, it is from Mr. Whitmore.

"Hey guys! Look what I found!" soon, the three other kids gathered around.

"What is it?"

"It is a letter from Mr. Whitmore, the man who funded the Atlantis Exploration and the discovery of the Shepard's Journal. It says here, and I quote, 'For you bravery and honor, I have given you some of my wealth and the Shepard's Journal for you. You are welcome to do whatever you like with this money and the journal itself.' It looks like this meant that he was given the journal."

"What exactly is so special about this journal?" Glenn asked.

"Well...from what my grandpa told me, this journal is the key to finding Atlantis."

"But where is this Journal at?" Andrea asked.

"I'm afraid I have no clue. The journal was said to have disappeared after Mr. Whitmore died. If anything I think the book might still be at his mansion. Either that, or it is elsewhere."

"Lets head back to your house Hollis. I think we might be able to find more clues there."

"All the same, I am still gonna take this letter and examine it."

We all headed back to the house and we all grabbed ourselves Dr. Peppers. We turned on the TV and then it turned to a new exhibit that was opening at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

"As the owner of the Smithsonian Institute, I hereby declare the Atlantis exhibit, Open!"

I looked at the TV and then I saw it, the Shepard's Journal.

"Guys! Look!" I shouted as Glenn, Reginald, and Andrea looked at the TV and saw the journal as well.

"What is that journal you are trying to point out to us?" Glenn asked me.

"That Glenn, is the Shepard's Journal. That journal is the key to finding the lost continent of Atlantis. We have got to get that book."

"How?" Andrea asked. "It is not like we can just walk up to the front door and try to steal that book."

Just then, we heard the owner of the Smithsonian speak, "Unfortunately, the journal will have to be moved to the Library of Congress due to the importance of the book."

I then spoke, "I think this might be our only chance to get that book."

"But how are we gonna get that book?"

"I guess we have no choice, but to show that letter to them and get that book."

"What if they say no?" Reginald asked.

"We Reggie; I guess we will have no choice, but to steal that book. I hate to do this, but I guess we have no choice but to."

"Well how are we gonna steal this book?" Andrea asked me.

"Well Andy...I am gonna call in some help." So I went over to the phone and dialed in the number for the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad.

"Yes Hello?" the operator said.

"Hello. Will you please get Mr. Morris McCullough."

"Sure thing. Please hold." I had to wait a few minutes before I heard his voice.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"It is Howlin' Mad."

"Hey bro! How may I help you?"

"Well Morry..." I started. "I need your help in trying to get to D.C. Will you be able to meet up with me and my friends at Cherokee Yard in Tulsa? We are about to go on a big adventure."

"Sure Howlin', but how exactly are you gonna get to Cherokee when Grand Bluffs is in Western Oklahoma?"

"We will try to catch a train in Enid if we can get there in time and ride the rails to Tulsa."

"Good luck brother. I will meet you there in an old diesel at Cherokee Yard in four days. Don't be late."

"Right Brother! Goodbye now." I said as I hung up the phone.

I looked at my friends and smiled. "Pack your things. We are going on an adventure." my three friends looked at each other and smiled. "I'm in!" Reginald said. "Oh what the heck! I might as well." Glenn replied. "I'm looking for a chance to get out of this place."

So we all packed our things. I packed some clothes, my laptop as I will have to look up important information, some food and cooking equipment, rope for tying things, passport I owned after my mom and dad died, I packed a tent and sleeping bag, and also took with me a lot of money. I met my friends by the now closed Nerton Westwend yard that was used by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe before merged with the Burlington Northern. We were standing by the tracks when we noticed something, an old General Motors GP7 diesel. We ran over to the old locomotive and loaded our stuff. I knew how to start this thing as I watched my brother many times start something as old as this. I started her up and checked to see how much fuel we have and saw that we have only barely half a tank. So, I had to make sure we didn't go too fast, otherwise we would run out of fuel quickly. We loaded all our bags and equipment on board and we started heading towards Enid. We waved at many kids who stood by the tracks and then we finally reached Enid and made it to the big freight yard in Enid. Sadly, our GP7 had broken down after not being moved for a long time and now we are stuck. I looked around the place until I saw a young man approach us as we pulled into an unused siding. I got out to speak to the man.

"Hello there young man. What are you doing? This track must be cleared for a Westbound Union Pacific freight train."

"I do apologize sir. We were trying to get this old diesel up to Cherokee Yard in Tulsa and we have broken down. You think you can help us by getting to Cherokee Yard?" The worker looked at me and thought for a moment.

"Well...I can see that you four are in need of some help. Tell ya what, I will get your diesel hooked up to an Eastbound freight train that is heading to Cherokee Yard. There is a grain train heading that way; it is located on track four over there." He pointed to where the train was. "Anyway, what are you kids doing with sure an old piece of machinery?"

"Well..." I started. "We are actually trying to get to Tulsa so that we can meet up with my brother there so he can help us find a way to get to Washington D.C. Is there any trackage the BNSF owns in the Eastern United States?"

"I'm afraid that there is not. However, I think you might be able to sneak onto a CSX or Norfolk Southern freight train in Chicago or St. Louis. If ya go with the NS, you might be able to get to the Roanoke Locomotive Shops where they might be able to repair your GP7."

"Thank you sir. We really are thankful for your help. Would you like to join us on our adventure? We are heading to D.C. to complete one of the steps to get us set for our adventure."

"Oh why not? I will have to tell my boss here that I am gonna have to head East into Norfolk Southern and/or CSX trackage." he soon radioed a friend.

"Hey Sparrow! This is Foxlock over?"

"Roger Foxlock! This is Sparrow. What do ya need?"

"I need a caboose added to the freight train on track four and a diesel added. We got some kids here that need to get to Cherokee Yard on the double over?"

"Affirmative! There is a caboose on track seven at the East end of the yard. I see some smoke coming out of the GP7 beside you; you need a diesel to come and move it for ya?"

"Yes over."

"Alright I got someone on the way. A SD75M with old ATSF colors number 219 over."

"Thanks Sparrow. Over and out."

I climbed out of the cab and examined the engine. I opened the side panel a big could of black smoke puffed out and covered my face. I cleared it away and saw two big problems.

"Blast! Our radiator is busted! That means our engine will overheat as we can't refill water. Well that is even worse; parts of the engine is shot. She won't be moving an inch under her own power now until we get her fixed."

Just then, a diesel in old ATSF colors showed up and we coupled our diesel to it and hooked it to the rear of the train. Just then, a small switcher, a SW1500, switched a caboose to the back of our locomotive with our new friend on board. We unloaded all our bags and equipment into the caboose and settled in. I gotta say, the caboose's interior was amazing. Glenn and Reginald climbed into the dome part of the caboose while I stayed inside, looking at some more notes and information that would be essential to finding Atlantis. Our new friend, whose name is Bryan Vinson, called the lead locomotive and told him that we were ready to go. I soon heard a loud horn in front of us and now we started on our way. We figured out that our train would become larger when we reach Perry, there we would have to pick up some more grain cars and would most likely be a problem as we have a caboose attached to the train. luckily, before we left, a mechanic joined us and she would try to fix the locomotive as we headed to Perry. She is short, young; at the age of 19, has short black hair, brown eyes, hispanic accent, and is kind of a loud mouth. her her name is Kelly Navarro. She is quite serious about her work, as I would find out 20 minutes after we departed Enid.

"Hey Blanco!" she shouted.

"Don't tell me you mean me do ya missy?" I asked.

"Who else would I be talking to Blanco? Yes you! Now get over here."

"Yeah yeah I'm coming." I said as I came over to her outside.

"What do you need?" I asked her.

"I need you to some of my tools and some parts in the caboose. They are a washer and a hammer."

"Alright. I'll get it." I went and got her the tools and then came back.

"Here you go."

"Thank you blanco."

I headed back to the caboose and started looking over and studying the Atlantean language, and some other foreign languages as well; mainly French, German, Italian, and some Latin. I studied for another 20 minutes straight until I decided to take a nap. I rested for a while until we finally reached Perry. I somehow managed to stay asleep as a new diesel switcher, a 3GS21B, shunted the rest of the grain cars to the train and finally added our GP7 and the caboose back to the train. We started heading East again as we passed through Pawnee and started heading down the old Santa Fe the rest of the way to Tulsa. We managed to arrive there in two and a half days, which was earlier than expected.

We pulled into Cherokee yard in the bright afternoon of the day. We were super excited to be there. The only problem is is that my brother hasn't arrived yet. So, we had no choice but to wait for him to arrive. A switcher arrived and shunted our locomotive and the caboose to a siding and they sent our GP7 to the road shops to try and get her working again. The grain train was dispersed to other trains being transported to other places. We waited around for a day not doing much and I studied more of the Atlantean way of life, but mainly their language the most. Finally, I saw a train pull in that have just came from Texas and was being pulled by a diesel that should've been retired back in the 90's; that diesel is an old FP45. I looked at the cab and saw that it was my brother in the cab.

I ran over to see him and he was happy to see me.

"I thought those diesels have all been retired brother?"

"They are...this one has just finished its service and is gonna probably be scrapped. It was nice to use such an old piece of equipment again."

"We arrived to Enid in an old GP7 that was abandoned in the yard at Grand Bluffs. She broke down on us as we arrived in Enid at the big yard, but we met some cool and polite people."

"So...why are you trying to get D.C.?"

"You may think this sounds crazy brother."

"Well no crazier than using an old diesel to get to a big railyard full of equipment and stuff." He teased.

Yeah...Good point." I replied. I regained my composure and decided that I must tell the people helping me my plan.

"Okay everyone." I said to them. "Gather around the table here and please don't be shy." Everyone sat down at the table in the caboose as I stood there about to discuss my plan.

"My brother and I have an important relative that we admired for a long time. He is Naval Officer Camdyn Bradley. He volunteered for an exploration headed by Professor Milo J. Thatch in 1914. It was said that he and the group found the lost continent of Atlantis. People put this story off, saying it is a hoax and I was made fun of because of this; and I hate this so much. I wanna prove that the stories I was told are not false and that Atlantis actually does exist. However, there is one essential piece to the puzzle that we must have; otherwise we will be on a wild goose chase. What we need is the Shepard's Journal. This journal is the key to finding Atlantis. Sadly, it is in a Smithsonian museum, but I found out that it is gonna be moved to the Library of Congress soon and so this is a limited window to get a hold of the journal. You might think I am crazy for trying to steal this journal; however, this journal is important to finding Atlantis. This task is gonna be dangerous and so I want ya'll to make a choice. If ya don't wanna come on this adventure then please leave the caboose; however, if ya wanna help me then you will stay until the journey's end, I'll leave the decision to you guys." I finished and watched everyone.

Everyone decided to stay in the caboose and made up their minds.

"Thank you fellas. You are all good friends."

My brother got back to his locomotive and our diesel and caboose was hooked up to the rear of the train. The locomotive is now in better condition and can run more smoothly now. I helped Kelly hook up the diesel to the train and now we are on our way again. I called my brother, who was in the cab of the lead locomotive.

"Is everything alright back there Howlin' Mad?" he asked me.

"Everything is set and we are ready to go." I told him as I heard a horn from the front and then we sat off into the night, heading for St. Louis. We actually arrived in St. Louis in record time and it took us only three hours to reach the city. However, I failed to mention that we also had some enemies. There was a kid we hated who was rich, a showoff, and was very rude. I beat him up twice after he tried to pick a fight with me in elementary. I was actually praised for that cause he got what he deserved. His name is Willie Maddox. He is rich because his father works for Continental Resources; "Land thieves and vandals" Is how I describe them. They sued my family in Watonga to give them our land so that they can drill for oil. We fought them tooth and nail, but we were forced to as they paid police to arrest me and my family. This was the last straw for me. I am sorry if I am getting ahead of myself, but this paints a clear picture about how much I hate Willie and his older brothers, Rodney and Horace. They somehow found out about our plans when we left Grand Bluffs in our GP7 and they tracked us all the way to Enid where they were unable to follow us from there. The night we arrived in St. Louis, I had a phone call.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello Howlin' Sad." I knew that voice anywhere.

"What do you want Silly Willie?" I asked him.

"I saw you and your friends on an old clanker, what ya up too?"

"Why would you care? You got plenty of clunkers yourself. I mean, look at your brothers."

"F##K YOU Howlin' Sad!" he shouted at me.

'NOW P##S OFF YOU NO GOOD FILTHY RICH SON OF A GUN!" I hung up on him. My voice woke up Reginald and Glenn.

"Willie?" asked Reginald.

"Yes Reggie, it is. I think he is following us. What should I do?"

"Stand up to him Hollis. Like what you did many years ago and we praised you."

"Thanks guys. That makes me feel a whole lot better. At least we now will be in a race to find Atlantis. Let us hope that we will beat the land thief.

My story is a lot longer from here, but I will have to spare the details for next time.

Join me next time for when we head deep into CSX and Norfolk Southern Territory and how we plan to get our hands on the Shepard's Journal to find Atlantis. Fair sailing everyone and may god watch over you.


	2. Chapter 2: The Hunt for the Journal

We finally entered St. Louis at Midnight. Most of us were asleep except for me as I needed to figure out Atlantean and quickly. We arrived at Luther Yard at one in the morning and we all had to wake up and get something to eat. We went to a McDonalds not far from the yard and we bought ourselves some sausage biscuits. I was eating my breakfast when my brother came into the caboose with some news.

"Hi Brother." I said to him. "What is it?"

"Well...I got some good news and I got some bad news."

"Well...What is the bad news?" I asked.

"The bad news is is that we have reached the end of the BNSF Trackage and we can't go any further."

"Well what is the good news?"

"The good news is is that we have some paint we can use to paint our GP7 and caboose to look like it is with CSX."

I climbed out of the cab and spoke to a worker of the CSX.

"Excuse me sir." I said to the man and he turned to see me.

"Yes? How may I help you?"

We are trying to get to Washington D.C. with this locomotive so that she can be turned into a museum or maybe work on a scenic railroad. We are wondering if you could help us get there."

"I'm afraid that I am not allowed to do that...However, I can let your locomotive assist the train with dynamic braking at the rear as we have a shortage of helpers and cabooses here."

"Thank you sir. You wouldn't by chance know anyone who is an expert in geology?"

"There is one person I know who is in D.C. and I know him quite well."

"Thank you sir. I owe you one."

I went to the cab of the GP7 with my brother looking out the other window. I headed to track 12 where a CSX freight train is waiting for a helper unit. We coupled up to the train and then I sent to the driver of the Dash-944CW that was leading the train.

"Is this train bound for Washington D.C.?" I asked him.

"Yes it is kid. We will have to make a stop along the way at Pinoca Yard in Charlotte, North Carolina. Then we will arrive at Benning Yard in D.C."

We climbed into the GP7 and our caboose and now we started on our way down the line. We passed through many cities along the way to D.C. We passed through Nashville. We entered Chattanooga where we passed by the Tennessee Railroad Valley and we saw a steam locomotive being used for an excursion. It was Southern 4501 that was pulling the excursion train with newly restored Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad 4-8-4, number 576. The 4-8-4 looked super beautiful. I honked the horn of our GP7 at them and earned a whistle from the two locomotives. We honked the horn again to say goodbye to the locos as they blew their whistles back to us as we disappeared into the sunset heading towards North Carolina. We soon entered Georgia as we had to pass through Atlanta to get to Charlotte. We stopped at Tilford Yard for the main diesels to refuel on oil. While we waited, I saw an Amtrak Passenger train stop at Monticello Station which is not far from Tilford Yard. I looked over and I felt a bunch of rage and hate flow through me. I saw Willie Maddox getting on that train with his brothers Matthew and Logan; They also had some friends with them as well. Granted, they are also bullies, but they are quite smart. their names are as follows: Diana Kidd, Jerry Koch, Mark Holt, and Charles Avery. I mean they aren't terrible people, but they can be rude at times. I called Diana as she and I used to date.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hello Diana." I replied.

"Holland?"

"Yes it's me."

"What do ya need Hollis?" she cooed.

"Well...I was wondering why you are with Willie and the Maddox boys?"

"Wait, How do you know I am with them?!"

"I am over in Tilford Yard on board a freight train."

"I see the train but I don't see you."

"Listen to me please Diana. Don't trust the Maddox Boys. They are vial and conniving, and they only care about money and power. Come with my group; come with me."

"I will meet you in Charlotte."

"Thanks Diana. I'm afraid I have to go now. goodbye."

"Goodbye Hollis."

I hung up the phone as the diesel in front of us honked its horn and we set off into the night again. We arrived in Charlotte at around five in the morning. After we arrived, we uncoupled our GP7 and our caboose from the train. We were in a siding when I saw Diana run towards us.

"Hi Diana." I said to her.

"Hi Holland Mad. How are you?" She asked me.

"Quite alright, but why were you with Willie? He is a snake."

"I'm sorry Hollis. He bribed me to go with $500,000."

"Jesus. He must have a bottomless pit wallet. Anyway, thank you for coming with us."

"Your welcome Hollis." She kissed my cheek and I blushed.

I went to the cab of the GP7 and started her up. This time, she was purring like a cat. I honked the horn, telling my friends to get on quickly. I started us up and started the journey to D.C. We arrived at around ten in the morning and the sun was up. We stopped at a siding and watched a fast express train fly by us. I went to the caboose and layed out some papers and ideas.

"Okay everyone...The only way we will be able to get ahold of this journal is the steal it while it is being delivered to the Library of Congress."

"So how are we gonna steal this thing Holland?" Reginald asked.

"We Reggie; I think I have a plan." And so I started thinking of the plan.

"So they are gonna be throwing a big party to celebrate the Atlantis Exhibit at the Smithsonian. The guards will probably be for focused on the people rather than the book. They probably store it away the same way as the Declaration of Independence. So, I'm gonna sneak in as a guard who is gonna be guarding the book and then snatch it. Once that happens, I'm gonna try and contact you guys and tell ya I got it."

"What then?" Kelly asked.

"I will meet you guys. I want you to be driving something that won't draw attention. There should be a dealership not far from here where you can rent a black van. That shouldn't be able to draw too much attention."

"Where do we go after that?" Glenn asked.

"We will then head to the Whitmore Estate which is not far from D.C."

We started preparing for it. Kelly and Diana went to the dealership to rent the van for around two days. I put on some western clothes for the party. Reginald dressed up as a security guard since one of his online friends happens to work at the Smithsonian. I soon called Diana.

"Diana. Is everything set?"

"yes! We are ready to go!"

I then hung up and met up with Reginald by the security door as they started lowering the Shepard's Journal to the bottom area of the museum. Andrea then hacked the security cameras and then I grabbed the book. I put it in my backpack and pretended to have been caught by Reginald. We passed by a guard who saw me and Reginald.

"Who is this?" he asked us.

"This scumbag tried to steal the Hope Diamond and the Star of Asia Sapphire!"

"I need the money to feed my family." I plead.

"Shut up criminal!" Reginald shouted at me and slapped me in the face.

"Get him out of here!" the guard demanded.

"Yes sir!" Reginald shouted.

As we headed out of the museum, I looked at Reginald.

"Did ya have to hit me that hard?" I asked.

"It has to look convincing alright?"

"Fair enough."

We ran over to the van and climbed in. Diana and Glenn were in the driver and passenger seats. The moment we left, Andrea left the server quickly and the security cameras were now working. We drove off into the night. We were all laughing and excited about how this went so perfectly. I looked at Andrea and Reginald and decided to speak to them.

"So Guys. We must now head to the Whitmore Estate. They will know something about this travel we will be going on."

Soon, We started heading up the road that leads to the Whitmore Estate, but looks a bit more modern than what it did back in 1914. Holding onto the journal, Reginald, Diana, and I walked up to the door and. Reaching my hand out, I knocked on the door. Then, we were greeted by this young, but beautiful woman. She had long black hair, brown eyes, a red silk dress with one of the straps down over her left shoulder. I could've sworn she looked like she was from a 50's movies. She greeted us with a smile.

"Howlin' Mad McCullough." She said to me.

"How do you know my name?" I asked.

"I heard about Captain Bradley. He was quite the brave sailor and a renowned hero."

"Thank you Miss..." I lost my words.

"Kidd...Amanda Kidd. The Great-Great Grandson of Mr. Preston Whitmore is in here waiting for you."

"Ms. Kidd, may my friends come in as well?"

"Why yes they may."

Soon, we all walked in and were ordered by Amanda to take a seat in the foyer and wait for the descendant of Mr. Whitmore. Suddenly, a man in his early 30's showed up in a rather casual dress. His hair was brown, but was dyed with some green and blue. He had a rather queer smile, but a friendly attitude.

"Nice to meet you Mr. McCullough." He walked over towards me and shook my hand.

"please," I replied. "Call me Howlin' Mad."

"Albeit, it is nice to meet you Hollis. I'm BMW. Ben "Morrison" Whitmore."

I showed him the journal.

"That is the Shepard's Journal!"

"This journal is the key to finding the lost continent of Atlantis." I told him.

"You really think Atlantis is real?" he asked me. Shows him the book and he reads it but then looks puzzled.

"You got me a book that is nothing but a bunch of gibberish."

"That is because it is a dialect that is no longer in use, but I have studied this for a long time."

"Who will even believe you?"

"My friends do and maybe get the museum to try and fund it."

"How you plan to do that, flush your career down the toilet?"

"How dare you say that to me! Me and my friends are willing to risk everything to try and find Atlantis. We will find it even if we have to rent a rowboat."

Suddenly, BMW started smiling and then he pushed a button," That is exactly what I want to hear, but you might wanna forget about the rowboats. We will be travelling in style." Suddenly, I was looking at state of the art equipment from a massive submarine and other machines.

"How long have you had this planned sir?"

"A long time, and now we are finally ready as you know how to read that book. If you didn't take that book, I was about to buy it with what money I have."

"What about the crew and other members? I mean you are gonna need engineers and geologists." Kelly smiled as did Bryan when they heard this. I made sure to not leave them out, "These nice fellas here helped me get to D.C. in the first place. May they please join in the trip?"

"Yes they may! And to answer your question, we already got a crew and some of the best of the best Geologists and Engineers. Gina Castronovo, Young, but energetic engineer. Jérôme Boutroux, excellent navigator from Brest, France and studied at the École Navale located there. Justinianus Constantinus, welder and demolition expert. He believes in the old Byzantine Empire and so he changed his name to honor Justinian. Catalina Gaona, head of the engineers. Most of these people were trying to find the journal but have had no luck."

"Sorry for causing you so much trouble over this book." I said.

"That is alright." He replied.

"What about or clothes and stuff? We are gonna keep that for sure."

"We found the diesel locomotive you came here in and it is right now located in a shed at the yard where you left it. Your clothes have already been delivered to the boat that has the equipment and other cargo that will be needed."

"How did you manage that so quickly?"

"I like to be an efficient man. All we need is someone who is able to translate that journal. Are you all in it, or do ya wanna stay in Grand Bluffs?"

"When Thaddeus Thatch found that book, he told me this,'Our lives are remembered by the gifts we leave our children.' This Journal was actually a gift for Milo Thatch, but he decided to stay in Atlantis to help rebuild their culture and way of life. So how would you like to finally go see Atlantis for real?"

I turned to my friends and smiled.

"Guys...I know we are miles from home, but this might make us mean something. What do ya'll say?" they all shook their heads at me and agreed to join me. However, another man arrived and I was disgusted. It was Willie and his friends.

"Willie..." I retorted.

"Howlin' Mad..."

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the very same reason."

Alright you two," BMW said. "C'mon can't we all just get along?"

"Willie...I'm sorry about the other night while on the phone. I was just upset about what you have been doing to my family."

"I'm sorry for all the trouble I have been causing too. I was just doing my job and I forgive you for what you said about my brothers." I never would have imagined shaking hands with someone I hate, but we were able to somehow.

"So how did you get to be apart of this mission Willie?" I asked.

"Well...where do ya think they are getting the oil and fuel for their vehicles?"

"I'm guessing you are only doing this for the money?"

"Yeah I'm afraid so."

"Fair enough." I walked to the window and was a bit upset.

"Hollis?" "Is everything okay?" Diana asked me

"Is this is what it is about Willie? Money? I mean you got plenty of money; why would you need anymore?"

"We are actually suffering some hardships ourselves Hollis." I looked at him in confusion.

"Willie what are you talking about?"

"Continental fired my dad as they were suffering from people who we asked to drill on their land started suing us and we had to pay them a whole bunch of money and now we are broke. I also found out that my dad is suffering from some kind of new infection or plague. I need the money to save his life."

"Now that I understand." I told him. "However, I think we should put our differences aside and focus on the big picture."

"I think that is a good idea." He replied to me.

"I think I might have an idea of what is wrong with your dad Willie, but I must ask you some questions."

"Sure. Ask away." he told me.

"What were some of the symptoms? Like what have you noticed about him?"

"Well," he started. "I have noticed him vomiting at an alarming rate and some parts of his skin have turned blue. That is pretty much it."

"I am guessing he is suffering from a mix of Cholera and Flu."

"That ain't a good thing is it?"

"Make sure he stays in voluntary quarantine and make sure he drinks a bunch of water and glucose. Also make sure he isn't anywhere near waste."

"I will call him and tell him that." Willie replied.

"Anyway..." I changed the subject. "BMW. What time do we leave?"

"The expedition will set sail in two days. Are you in?"

"Yes we are."

So, we are now ready to start our adventure to find the lost continent. We had no clue how long it would take, nor the dangers that await. However, that will have to wait for next time.

Join me next time as the expedition and I start sailing to find Atlantis and encounter dangers and other creatures along the way. Fair sailing ya'll and may god watch over you.


	3. Chapter 3: Descenting to the Gateway

"Well this is gonna be one chaotic, cowboy operation." I thought to myself as I watched other people load cargo and all sorts of other equipment onto our ship. The ship we are on is a converted container ship, modified to carry 200 to 300 men on board and all their equipment. She is quite a beautiful ship with quite the amount of space. She is the _U.S.S. Duke of Glasgow_. However, she is only one of four ships that is apart of our exploration. The other three ships are the _H.M.S. Duchess of Cumberland,_ _FS Arc-en-Ciel,_ and the _U.S.S. Sapphire._

Sadly, I ate something I probably shouldn't have ate right before getting on board the ship. Let's just say, I had to puke. I don't know why I got sick on board.

"Why did I have to eat watermelon? I don't even like watermelon." I said to myself as I watched from the deck of the Duke of Glasgow. Suddenly, I heard a voice on the intercom.

 _"Attention! All hands prepare to launch!"_ I hurried to grab my bags and the journal. I soon ran into Miss Amanda Kidd.

"Oh hello again." She said to me.

"Why hello as well. I had no clue you were coming along on this trip as well."

"BLONDIE!" I heard a voice shout.

"Hold that thought Howlin' Mad." She replied to me as I watched her walk over to a man in his mid-30's, with long black hair and sideburns, he was also short, and dressed in clothes from the time of the California Gold Rush; well, it looked like he was.

"What have you packed into my wagon here?!" I saw him look through his stuff.

"What is the problem Porky?" I saw him open up the wagon to reveal what she had stored in Porkchop's wagon.

"What is this? Tomatoes? We ain't gonna be cookin' no Spaghetti! Lettuce? Why we be needin' this?"

"Why they are all the basic food groups of course Porky."

"Why I can give ya four basic food groups and much for faster than you can say,' callawhosica'. beef, ham, beans, and gumbo." I laughed at that when I heard those words.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Actually those are food types not food groups ya half a meatball."

"Alright ya Southern gits! Let's pack it up and get gone before the sun sets."

"Hey Howlin' Mad!" BMW shouted at me. "Where have you been? I would like you to meet Captain Jerome "Bradshaw" Larson. He had family who served in the 1914 expedition and has served in the Gulf War on board the U.S.S. Missouri." I then shook hands with the Captain and smiled at him.

"It is an honor to meet you Captain Larson."

"Please," he replied. "Call me JBL."

"If ya say so." Just then, my brother Morris showed up beside me.

"Is this the captain of the submarine Independence?"

"why yes it is Morry. This is Captain JBL. By the way Captain."

"Yes Howlin' Mad?"

"How many other submarines will be with us."

"Two others. Doncaster and Falkland Eagle."

"And we are on the Independence?"

"Yes we are."

 _Attention! All hands prepare for launch._

"Let's get going all." I finally said. Suddenly, I saw someone drop a stick.

"Hey! You dropped you dynamite." Just then, a middle aged man looked back. He was dressed in a mix of purple and khaki; he also has curly dirty blond hair. He has sideburns and blue-green eyes.

"Thank ya for the help. The name is Justinian." I shook his hand.

"Howlin' Mad McCullough. I am gonna help read the journal to lead us the way."

"Proud to have you here."

I grabbed my bags and any other things I feel like I will have to have and climbed onto the Independence. I gotta say, BMW did a very good job of paying these workers, and he must have a very fat wallet. This is quite a massive sub, even for today's standards. I had a feeling though that me and my friends might be in for it sooner or later. I walked around the place and meet up with this rather sweet looking girl. She is about my height, with black hair, beautiful blue eyes, a sweet smile, rather elegant curves *coughs* (Sorry for getting a bit out of hands with describing her. You basically get the idea that she is beautiful.)

"Hello Ma'am." I said nervously.

"Ciao Yank." she responded back in a cute voice.

"Scusate. Il mio italiano è molto arrugginito." I replied back in Italian the best I could

"That is okay Cicognone." She smiled at me. _My she looks super cute_ I thought to myself, but I regained my sanity.

"So you are the Chief Engineer Stella?" I asked making her blush some.

"No Gallinello. I am actually the assistant of the Chief Engineer. Catalina is actually the Chief Engineer."

"Sorry for the misunderstanding." I blushed in humiliation.

"That is alright Gigino. You are actually kind of Carcina." I was surprised that she said that.

"Anyway..." I said, trying to calm myself. "I am afraid that I must go and check on my friends. sorry Gina."

"That is alright. I guess I will see you later Gallinello?"

"Of course!" I replied.

I walked around the sub and then I stumbled into a sleeping quarters. I looked around and noticed that there was a French flag on my bed. I reached down to pick one up but then I was stopped in my tracks. I was stopped by a early 30s; he has horizon blue eyes with blond hair, like mine, but his was a lot longer. He seemed to be wearing a sailor's uniform but with the French tricolor on his sleeve.

"Excusez-moi monsieur." He replied to me.

"Oh dear did I do something wrong?" I asked him.

"Non, but you almost messed with my prized flag. This is the flag flown by the former battleship Dunkerque and belonged to my great uncle who died while on board her when it was ordered to help out during the Invasion of Norway in 1940."

"I am super sorry for almost ruining it. My deepest apologies."

"Cheer up Monsieur. You had no clue and that is not your fault." Just then, an African American showed up.

"Have you been giving the kid here a tongue lashing?" He asked Jérôme.

"Non! I have not Baldwin. He almost accidently sat on my flag I have here. I just didn't want him to ruin it by accident."

"Anyway my name is Baldwin. Curtis Baldwin; I am the medical officer here." I shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you." I told him. Just then, Miss Louis Coleman, our Intercom lady, announced on the com.

 _Would Howlin' Mad McCullough please report to the bridge?_

"Sorry I can't stay fellas. You are welcome to come if ya like."

"Sure. We would love to see what this is all about."

I soon met up with my friends and realized that Kelly is not with the group.

"Where is Kelly?"

"She decided not to go on the trip and look after BMW." Bryan said.

"I see. Anyways let us all go to the bridge. I have a feeling that this is very important."

We all started walking to the bridge and we arrived. I was gobsmacked by this and was at a loss of word. I was then gestured by one of the naval officers to go to the meeting room which is located just above where we were. We walked up there and it looked like a conference room with a projector and table with seats. JBl and Amanda were seated down and the rest of the people that came with me all sat down in a chair except for me.

"I want everyone here to give Mr. McCullough your undivided attention." JBL said.

"Alright. I guess we should start this off about what I know so far. Is that okay with you JBL?"

"Sure Howlin' Mad."

"Well...There is still some stuff I am still not sure about. However, I can tell you is that there is a frightening creature that guards the entrance of Atlantis. It is said to be one of the most frightening beasts to ever live." I stumbled over to a dry erase board and a chalkboard. "Sorry...My art stills are very bad and so I am gonna do my best to draw this creature."

So, I did my best to draw the creature onto the dry erase board. I gotta say it actually wasn't that bad. My friends looked shocked by this creature, but JBL and everyone else didn't seem so surprised.

"What is that thing Hollis?" Glenn asked.

"This Glenn; This is the Leviathan. It's a mythical sea serpent. He's described in the Book of job. The Bible says, "Out of his mouth go burning lights, sparks of fire shoot out." But more likely it's a carving or, a sculpture to frighten the superstitious."

"Sounds like we have our work cut out for us don't we?" Jérôme retorted.

"Will we have to do any digging or no?" asked one of the geologists that was in the room.

"I am not sure if we have to do any digging. We might have to later, but not with finding the entrance to Atlantis. Ya see, what the journal here says, and I quote, 'the path to Atlantis will take us down a tunnel at the bottom of the ocean, and we'll come up a curve into an air pocket right here, where we'll find the remnants of an ancient highway that will lead us to Atlantis.' I can't make any promises that we will be digging, but we might have to should there be any blockages along this highway."

"I see..." said the geologist. "So we might have to drill later on, but not at the start?"

"I'm afraid I do not know yet good sir." I told him. "I guess we will have to wait and see." I then heard Amanda say something to herself.

"Epidemiologist, Historian, Cross Country Runner...I am surprised that he is still single." I choose not to say anything as I thought it would have been super rude.

I walked over to the bridge and looked out the window, but all I could see was darkness. I was examining all the equipment and was surprised that this was all state of the art.

"Independence to Doncaster over?" I heard the radioman say.

"Yes this is Doncaster over?"

"Set course for 2-4-0. 50 degrees down angle."

"Affirmative Independence."

"I hear ya. Independence out." I then looked to the starboard side of our sub and saw the Doncaster. The Captain on board the Doncaster waved at us and we waved back. I was still reading the journal, trying to understand it a little better when I heard the Helmsman shout to JBL.

"Captain?"

"What is it First Officer McFarland?"

"Ya might wanna get a look at this."

"What is it?" I then asked, but soon I got my answer when I saw hundreds of different ships from so many eras destroyed and at the bottom of the sea. Suddenly, something caught my eyes.

"Captain look!" I pointed to a blown up hull. "Is that the..."

"Yes it is Mr. McCullough. That is the Ulysses." I was at a loss of words to see the very ship my granddad was aboard was now a heap of wreckage.

"What happened?" I asked.

"let us have so exterior lights." Just then, these big lights turned on and showed that there was also other ships sunk.

"Look! That is the Cape Nelson!" Jérôme shouted. I looked and saw the broken hull of some old World War II era cargo ships. I knew what they were.

"It is indeed the Cape Nelson and the Kastelholm. It was said that they were sunk by U-Boats, but when they were rescued; they were in shock, saying they were attacked by some strange creature that they have never seen before. I am not sure, but I think the Leviathan destroyed them. There is no other explanation."

I was know trying to imagine what it would be like to be in mortal peril. Little did almost all of us know, we already are. However, That is gonna have to be a story for next time.

Join us next time as we enter the entrance to Atlantis and how we encountered the Leviathan. It is quite scary so be careful and say your prayers tonight. Fair Sailing and I hope you all have a Merry Christmas 

* * *

So as you can see, I have finally figured out how to do this part to leave behind a message. I hope you all enjoy this story so far and be sure to leave a like and review. Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year.


	4. Chapter 4: Attack of the Leviathan

As I watched from the bridge, we had no clue that there truly was a monster stalking us. We were still exploring the wreckage of all those ships when JBL asked me to read a part of the journal that would explain something he really cared to know.

" _Predeshtem..._ _logtu nug..._ _nah geb."_

"What exactly does that even mean Hollis?" Willie asked me.

"It means, and I quote,' Enter the lair of the Leviathan.'"

"Commander?" Ms. Coleman said.

"There you will find the path to the gateway."

"Commander?"

"Yes Ms. Coleman. What is the matter?"

"I seem to be picking up something on the hydrophone and the radar that ya might wanna hear."

"Go ahead and put it on speaker." I just then heard a click of a switch, meaning she just turned on the speaker. I was frightened by the noise I was hearing. I also knew that this is surely not a good sign. It sounded metal and was loud, like the noise of someone dying, but even worse.

"Ummm...Captain..." I stammered. "I think we might wanna prepare for battle."

"What is that noise? That surely can't be a school of whales or any other deep sea creature can it?"

"No sir... It is indeed a deep sea creature, but it is not a school of whales. From the sounds of it, it sounds ten thousand times bigger."

"Well." Amanda said. "Whatever it is, it sounds metallic. Is it possible that it is us echoing off the rocks?"

"I doubt it blondie."

"Sir?" I struggled to say. "We might wanna get a move on and quickly, or prepare for battle. Whatever that thing is, if it is hostile, we won't stand a chance if we are not unprepared."

Just then, there was a dreaded silence. The type of silence that you would expect in a horror movie when the killer pops out to attack the protagonist. I was afraid suddenly about the silence.

"I don't like that silence. I have a feeling something is gonna happen."

"Well... whatever that was, I think it is gone now." Amanda said

"I wouldn't say that just yet Ms. Kidd." I told her.

"Helmsman. Hard to port. slow us down to 23 knots and-" Before he could finish, we heard a loud crash against the Independence and we were sent flying out of control. I heard another loud crash and then; BANG! Another loud crash against the hull of the sub. Almost all of us on the bridge went flying and fell on the rough metal. I had no clue what to think, but watch in horror as I heard JBL give out an order.

"Action Stations! Prepare for Battle!"

I soon felt something grab the sub and I was sent flying on to the glass of the bridge. I looked down and was shocked to see I was actually looking into one of the eyes of the Leviathan. I noticed that it was adjusting itself like a lens to a camera. I soon realized what it truly was.

"Mary Joseph!"

"What?" Morris shouted.

"Look!" I hollered. "It's a machine!" I shouted as its eye adjusted again.

"Launch sub pods!" Amanda shouted. I watched the sub pods head full speed towards the Leviathan and started firing torpedoes at it.

"Direct hit!" I heard one of the sub pod crew members shout.

"But no damage." another one said.

I ran over and grabbed the radio. "Doncaster! Falkland Eagle! We are under attack! We need backup!"

"Copy Independence. We are launching sub pods to assist." Just then, I saw them arrive and hit the Leviathan again.

"We are free!" I heard JBL shout. "Full speed ahead!" I watched from the window as I saw the Leviathan smash and destroy sub pods left and right.

"Torpedo turret! You have the order to fire torpedoes." I suddenly saw torpedoes come from our ship and hit the creature. Suddenly, I saw a flash and felt a "BANG!" on the Independence.

"Jiminy Christmas! It has weapons!" I shouted as I saw the dreadful creature tear the Falkland eagle up with a strike of an energy burst. Luckily, some of the smaller vessels were able to escape, but a large number of their crews were not so lucky. I ran in horror to the engineering room and I saw Gina was in trouble.

"Help!" she shouted as I saw her trapped under a metal beam. I ran over to her quickly and grabbed her.

"I could use some help here." I shouted. Suddenly, Glenn and Reginald came and helped me lift the beam off of Gina's legs.

"Glenn! Reggie! Go! I got Gina. Go get ready for possible Evac!"

"Thank you for saving me Hollis." Gina cooed.

"You can thank me later, but we must get you to safety. I saw Catalina run pass us and realized why; I turned around and saw a bunch of spall shooting around me and Gina. I covered her with my body as a rivet struck my head, but I didn't pass out. I carried her to the ladder and helped her up. I followed her after she made it.

"Get me the bridge!" She shouted.

 _"Yes Engineering?"_ I heard JBL's voice from the radio.

"JBL! We to a massive hit down here and water is filling up the bulkheads quickly. We mustn't let it reach the boilers or us being there when that happens."

 _"How much time do we have?"_

"At least 30 minutes if the bulkhead for the nuclear powersource holds." We suddenly heard a loud crash. "You might wanna make that ten."

"What do ya mean Gina?"

"We are gonna have to evacuate." After hearing that, I ran over and grabbed what stuff I will need, but I made sure no harm came to the journal as it was the key to everything. I soon ordered everyone to make it to the evacuation subs.

" _All hands abandon ship! I repeat, all hands abandon ship!"_

I lead Dr. Baldwin, Gina, Diana, Morris, Glenn, Reginald, Andrea, Willie, and Willie's friends to the first evac sub and started helping whoever I could to the others. I also had crew members who knew how to pilot the evac subs arrive to those subs as well so that they would be ready to go. I soon saw Amanda, JBL, and the rest of the bridge crew arrive into our evac sub and we were now away just as the Leviathan shot our sub again.

We pulled out of the Independence just as it exploded and two evac subs went with it. I watched in horror as I saw the other evac subs from the Falkland Eagle get smashed and destroyed. Doncaster was still holding strong against the Leviathan as the other sub pods kept distracting it. I grabbed a radio and contacted the Doncaster.

"Doncaster! get out of here! You don't stand a chance against that thing!"

"Negative! No one is gonna get left behind!"

I watched as more torpedoes pounded the Leviathan again, but did no damage. I watched as another energy blast tore right through the Doncaster and tore it to shreds with every single hand losing their lives except for this in the sub pods. We were all horrified by this, but did my best to stay calm.

"Where do we go now Holland?" JBL asked me.

"A giant crevice of sorts." I then pointed. "There! There is our way in! Break for it!"

"All vessels make your mark down angle 20 degrees!"

"Roger, Copy! 20 degrees down angle!"

We then dove for the trench just as the Leviathan made a swing, destroying three sub pods launched from the Doncaster.

"Go!" I heard one of the Doncaster sub pods reply on the radio. "We will hold it off while you guys get to the air pocket. We will follow you from behind! We promise."

"Affirmative!" I heard our radioman shout. "Godspeed!"

"I can't shake it!" I Can't FIZZZZZZ." I heard one of the sub pod pilots shout before the radio went dead.

We managed to get to the crevice, but it was still chasing us as it fired energy bolts at us and destroyed one of the evac subs.

"AHHH WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!" I heard one of the crew members shout.

"Keep it together young man. We will be fine."

I watched as another sub pod blew up and crashed into the third evac sub and destroyed it. We kept going down and saw the glass on the front start to crack and then we started going up. We made it to the air pocket, but at a heavy cost. I knew that the sub pods fighting the Leviathan wouldn't last long and so I grabbed the radio.

"Evac sub to red one Over?"

 _"FIZZZZZZZZZ"_

"Red one this is evac sub Theta. Please respond over?"

 _"FIZZZZZZZZZ"_

"They are dead." Gina said. "All of them." I saw that she was starting to cry. I had a feeling that this is bad. I walked over to her and tried my best to comfort.

"Shhhh. It's okay Gina." I told her.

"I wish it was Ragazzo. However, I just lost my grande fratello."

"Your big brother?" I asked.

"Si..." she sniffled and start crying again, but she had her head buried into my chest. I stroked her hair to try and make her feel better. I looked around and realized something.

"Glenn...Reginald?"

"Yes? What's wrong Hollis?"

"W-w-w-w-where is Morris?"

"Your brother?"

"Yes."

"I saw him leading crew members to the evac subs and tried to board one."

"However," one crew member spoke up. "He sacrificed himself to save me and to save others."

"So...he...didn't make it?" I asked. Everyone nodded their heads at what I said and I felt like my whole world had just been shattered.

"Why...WHHHYYYYYYYY!" I shouted from the top of my lungs and broke down into tears. I have never felt so lonely after I lost my mom and dad. I just felt like I have just been stabbed with a knife and had no hope of healing. I tried to calm down, but me and Gina have just suffered personal loss. I looked over and saw Willie was broken. I realized that he just lost his younger brother, Horace. I saw him and his older brother, Rodney hug each other in despair. I knew us having a breakdown would not solve our situation.

"Lets..." I sniffled. "Let's get to land." I told JBL.

We all climbed out of the evac sub; as did the others from the other one and of the four sub pods that survived from the Independence. I looked and saw Jérôme and Justinian climb out of one of the sub pods. I watched as all the other crew members lit a candle and sent it adrift in the cave. As for me, I pounded a cross into the ground and wrote my brothers name on it.

"Ten hours ago, we started this expedition with 1,000 of the finest men and women. There are only 60, of us now. I am not gonna be sweet and show sunshine about this all. We are in dire straits. However, we have been through a whole lot worse than this. I understand the grief we all have suffered; lost parents, lost siblings, and friends gone too soon. Nevertheless, We must not quit. If they were here, alive or not, they would want us to continue and finish what we started. From now on, everyone, including me, must do double the work. Everyone drives, everyone works, no one complains, no one slacks, and no one will be left behind. From what I see, our only hope for survival rests with you 'Howlin' Mad'. You and that little book."

"Well then let's get to work; right sir?" I asked.

"That is right Holland." JBL told me. "Ms. Kidd, lets get this convoy moving."

"Yes sir! Jérôme, you drive the equipment. Gina, you got the oiler and Justinian is with the drill and will help Mr. Bremerton."

I was messing with one of the trucks when JBL came up to me.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" he asked me.

"Of course I do." I told him. "I know how to drive, I'm not some fool."

"What about driving a semi?"

"I will struggle with that as I am not use to driving those."

"That is good. Now let's get going."

We were now on our way down this massive highway to head for Atlantis. We had no clue how long the journey would take, nor have any idea what dangers we will encounter. However, that is a story for another day.

Just me and the rest of the crew next time for one of the longest and more insane journeys of all time, and get to know some of the other crew members and some of their backstories. Fair sailing everyone.

* * *

So there ya go, chapter four for Atlantis. Sorry about this being short; I did the best I could because I am still rusty with telling stories. I hope you enjoy this and be sure to leave a review and tell me what ya think and some ways to make this better than what it is. So failing sailing everyone and Merry Christmas.


	5. Chapter 5: Climbing Devil's Back Pass

Let me just say that the journey on this highway was not without detours and/or delays. So I am gonna have to try my best to explain what happened along the journey through these caverns and other areas. This part of the story takes part as we travel up the massive pass that kind of reminded me of Kicking Horse Pass in Canada with the famous "Spiral Tunnels." I have been helping Jérôme map the place out as he was the expert in mapping.

"So what do you think we should name this pass?" I asked him.

"le Route de Poimasse?" He asked.

"Nah. that is to complex. Plus, who is gonna remember that name?"

"Good point Holland." he told me.

"I would probably name it Butchers Pass or Devil's Back Pass."

"Let us go with Devil's Back Pass."

"Sounds like a good idea." I told him. I then heard someone shout for me down the pass.

"Holland!" I recognized the voice, it was Gina. I headed down the spiral pass and was next to her.

"What is the matter Gina?" I asked her.

"The transmission to my truck has been shot. It isn't gonna be moving anytime soon."

"Hey!" I shouted. "I need a tow down here. Shot transmission." Just then, a flatbed truck arrived and started towing her truck up the pass. She was smiling at me and looking at me in a rather pleasant way. I was surprised that we were still not even halfway up the pass until we reached a small section of the pass. Jérôme noticed that as well and had a grim look on his face; I could tell that he was upset.

"What is the matter?" I asked him.

"We are not close to the end of the pass. I fear we will be here for a while."

"Don't worry Jérôme." I told him. "We will make it." Suddenly, I heard from the radio of my truck a crackle.

 _"... - ... -.-.- / - ... .. ... / .. ... / ... ..- -... / .-. - -.. / -. ..- - -... . .-. / ...- / ..-. .-. - - / -.. - -. -.-. .- ... - . .-. -.-.- / .- . / - .- -.. . / .. - -.-.- / .-. . .-. . .- - -.-.- / ... - ..."_

"It's sub pod four! They survived the Leviathan!" I shouted. "I am gonna send a reply!"

"Do it!" JBL said.

 _"_ _.- ..-. ..-. .. .-. - .- - .. ...- . -.-.- / .- . / .- .-. . / .-.. - -.-. .- - . -.. / ..-. .. ...- . / - .. .-.. . ... / .- ... . .- -.. / - -. / - ... . / .- -. -.-. .. . -. - / ... .. -. ... .- .- -.- -.-.- / - ... .. ... / .. ... / -.-. - -. ...- - -.- / - .- - -.-.- / .- . / .- .-. . / -. - -. -. .- / ... . -. -.. / .- / - .-. ..- -.-. -.- / - - / ... . .-.. .-. / -.- - ..- -.-.-"_

"They will be coming up the highway soon. However, we must send a truck to help them."

"Glenn."

"Yes Hollis?" he asked me.

"I need you to take your truck and rescue the crew members from sub pod four."

"Sure thing." He told me. "I will get to it."

We kept climbing up the pass for a while now, but we soon reached a weird crossroads. I examined the book and saw that we must go right as there is a giant scorpion blocking the road on the left. We kept going up the pass until we reached a stiff grade of 5%. This would not be easy for our drill and other heavy equipment to traverse as it was steeper than the rest. I studied the grade and saw that we might be able to do something about it. I noticed that there was a more flatter path where we could be able to still make it, but not have to go up that 5% grade.

After passing through one of the spiral tunnels, we made it to a rather open area where I saw old artifacts and other treasures. I was not in this for the money. Oh no, I am in this for the adventure and to clear my granddad's name for being told that he was a mad man. We stopped to eat by some of these artifacts and was served with some pork and beans. The pork was rather good, but the beans had something left to be desired. I was by myself trying to understand the journal even more to try and make sure we are not gonna get lost.

"Hey Hollis." I heard a voice shout. I looked to see Gina, eating with some of the crew; notably, crew I have already met.

"Yeah?" I asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No." she cooed. "I would just like for you to come over here and eat with us."

"really?" I asked.

"Si."

"Alright." I picked up my book and carried my food with me.

"Do you ever put down that book?" Justinian asked me.

Yeah." agreed Curtis. "You must have read that like a thousand times by now."

"I know, but something is bothering me."

"What is that?" Gina asked me.

"Why would the Smithsonian start an Atlantis exhibit when most of the head board members dismissed it as a myth? That just doesn't make sense. Why would they dismiss it as a myth, but then make a museum exhibit about it?"

"I have no clue, but it is a good question." Glenn said. I start rubbing my neck.

"You okay there?" Curtis asked me.

"Yeah, it's just my neck has been bothering me some." Just then, he started popping and then we heard a loud cracking noise.

"Better?" he asked.

"Well..." I felt it and now it was gone. "Yeah I feel a whole lot better. Where did you learn that?" I asked.

"Cheyenne Arapaho Medicine." he told me.

"No kidding?" I asked.

"born and raised. My great great granddad was in the U.S. Army during the times of the Old West and met his wife," He then showed me a picture of his great great granddad and mom. I guessed the baby being carried was is great granddad. "My great granddad there helped the wounded in the Spanish American War and used Ancient Native American techniques to try and battle the 1918 Flu Pandemic that ravaged the world. His sons, that be my grandpa and uncle, served as medics and code talkers in World War II, one in Europe and the other in the Pacific."

"That is awesome." I told him.

"What about you?" He asked me. "Why are you on this journey?" Everyone then gathered around for me to tell them.

"Well...My Great Great Granddad was actually apart of the Atlantis Expedition in 1914 with Mr. Thatch. He died before I was born but my grandpa told me the stories he told about the place and I told my friends, but they all said, 'You know nothing Howlin' Mad!' Or ,'That is nothing by fairytales.' I wasn't surprised because most of them still believe in the Miasma Theory for diseases. I hated hearing that my Granddad was a liar and that he should go to a retirement home while they still have a room left. I hated hearing that, and so that is why I am here. I wanna prove that what I was told as a kid was true and I am not gonna let anything get in the way of that. However, I am mainly here for the adventure, as are my friends. I guess you all are here for the adventure or just the money?"

"Money." Gina said.

"Money." Curtis replied.

"Money." Mrs. Coleman snorted.

"Money as well." Justinian retorted.

"I would have to say money as well." Jérôme hollered.

"I guess I set myself up for that one." I whimpered.

"However." Gina spoke again. "I am also in it for an adventure as well."

"Well there ya go." I replied with a smile.

"Anyway..."I started. "I think it be best for us all to get some sleep before we get going again."

"I think that is a good idea." Catalina replied for a tent.

So I walked over and sat up my tent and changed into some for descent sleeping clothes. I turned down the lamp light and started to get to sleep. The next day would be important as well as we would have to traverse a barrier that I don't think any of us were expecting after the attack of the Leviathan. However, that is a story for another day. Fair sailing everyone and may god watch over you.

* * *

Okay...Sorry about the delay on this one. I have been a rather busy bee with basketball and work for school. However, I should be able to do a good job before the holidays and hopefully start a special christmas one for Thomas and Friends. Like always, be sure to like and leave a review.


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